White and All that Follows
by Doll of Ashes
Summary: The death and rebirth of worlds often have unforeseen consequences - the wheels of Time and Space are forced to adapt to any wrench thrown in their midst. Haunted by memories he never lived, and yearning for friends he never met, Ash Ketchum must find a way to see through the phantom whispers of a life he never led - and search the earth and skies for a truth he might not like.


It happened like this, with nothing to announce the circumstantial happening taking place in the dead of night but a slight shiver running across the backs of those who resided in the city of Pallet. It wasn`t anything harsh, nor anything worth getting up for - a mild discomfort, a whisper too soft to properly register as words.

For a single second only, across the entire city of Pallet, every single face contorted softly into one of unease, perhaps even pained. Sleeping on the couch at his laboratory, Professor Samuel Oak let a soft groan escape his lips as he turned. Asleep on her bed with a picture frame hanging softly from her grasp, Delia Ketchum murmured a name in her dreams and let go of the dark wood frame.

Though no one was observing it - for even the Ketchum`s was asleep at such a time - the picture frame seemed to fall in slow motion from the edge of the bed, reflecting just a bit of light as it fell, obscuring in streaks of white just enough of the picture as to only show the smiling face of Delia, held tightly in an embrace by someone taller whose face was also hidden by the reflected light.

For a single split second only, the world distorted and protested. Somewhere, somehow - a hollow screeching echoed painfully through corridors of a dark cave, ringing without aim with words no one would hear.  
The picture frame smashed against the carpeted floor, and as the million shards of shattered glass were spread by force of a surreal impact, a passive observer could have taken note with no small amount of surprise as the taller figure vanished from the fallen picture.

\- Upstairs, in another dark room, a digital Pokeball Clock rang softly as the numbers shifted from 2:59 to 3:00 AM. Simultaneously, within that same room, a soft breeze traveled softly, caressing each surface on it's brief way.  
The wind traveled through the curtains, making them dance as it passed by, and then made its way across the room, sending soft shivers down a sleeping Pikachu's fur, and finally reached a small boy who was up to that point asleep under his cover, a contented look settled upon his soft features, And then it dissipated - And Ash`s eyes snapped open with the desperation of someone escaping a harsh nightmare.

All the while - the windows in Pallet all remained unopened.

\- The raven-haired boy awoke with a painful wave of nostalgia passing him by. Almost immediately did he ditch the covers that he was under and sit up to properly let rational thoughts bleed into his mind, his lips parted ever so slightly as he took a few deep breaths to calm his suddenly-flared nerves.

There`d been - flashes. Memories, almost, except they clearly weren`t his - and were fading by the second. For a single moment, Ash contemplated grabbing a notebook to write down this feverish dream, but it was gone before he could, and the flashes of people he`d never met and partners he never befriended were already little more than blurred thoughts and a tugging at his heart.

Ash Ketchum, aged 12, looked over at the Pikachu who was slowly coming to his senses near his bed, and smiled softly as the creature sent him a concerned gaze. It felt off, strained, and thus settled as a mere imitation made in discomfort.

"Don`t worry, PIkachu. I`m fine."

He muttered. His partner was unconvinced, and thus promptly ran over to Ash`s lap, jumping over the bed with the dexterity only a battle-focused Pokemon truly possessed. Shaking his head, the boy contented himself with running his fingers through Pikachu`s soft fur, eliciting soft and contented noises from him as he continued.

"It was just… a dream. A Bad Dream. But I`m fine, really! I mean… We`re a lot tougher than that, right?"

For his part, the Pikachu did little more than gaze at his trainer and best friend for these past two years and sigh, answering with a few "Pi" and "Pika"s.

"Of course we are! I mean, we fought Ho-Oh and Marshadow and Zeraora and met a lot of people - You know I trust you with anything. It just wasn't really anything."

As expected - even as the words escaped his lips and soother the PIkachu`s nerves, the boy felt his own chest constrict in a doubtful way. But it'd be fine, as it always had been - He and his partner were going to be just fine. He had Pikachu and Charizard and Mom and, hell, even MImey. His family was complete, and it wasn`t a weird dream that would change that. Everything was fine.

. . . Even as he tried to convince himself of his own words, Ash Ketchum couldn`t shake off the painfully constrictive feeling that something dearly, dearly beloved was missing from his life - That several pieces of his puzzle had been stripped away.

But his memories spoke otherwise, and thus, even if painfully uncomfortable, painfully nostalgic, Ash returned to sleep.

it would only be the first dream of many. 


End file.
